Ignition device for internal-combustion engines.



M. A. com). IGNITION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 7. I916.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SIIEEI I.

M. A. GOOD.

IGNITION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSHON ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I915.

1,297,102. Patented Mar. 11,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Vi J MORTIMER ARTHUR COIDD, OF LAMBETH, ENGLAND.

IGNITION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed September 7, 1916. Serial No. 118.864.

To all whom it mm concern:

Be it known t at I, MORTIMER Airmen Conn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 64 Belvedere road, Lambeth, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Ignition Devices for Internal- (ombustion Engines, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention relates to coil i ition devices for internal combustion engines of the kind previously proposed in which the cm],

I the low tension contact breaker therefor and the distributer, that is, the high tension switch worked by the engine to direct the high tension current from the coil to the sparking plugs, are combined together in a sin le mechanism the coil being secured to an rotatin with a spindle b means of which the. istributer and the ow tension contact breaker are operated. The chief object of the said invention is to provide a coil i ition device of the said kind which shall it more convenient and economical to manufacture and more reliable, convenient and durable in use than devices of the said kind and form as heretofore ro posed.

The chief feature of the said invention is that a single comparative] provided for the aforesaid spindle which bearing extends within the casing from one end thereof the main portion of the extension of the bearing being situated .within the coil which is secured to the spindle at and near that end of it farther from the endof the casing in which the spindle is situated. The coil therefore overhangs, as it were, the extension of the spindle hearing,

which extension is preferably of soft ironand extends for the effective length of the coil thus forming the core thereof. By the construction described a bearing for the spindle on each side of the coil is dispensed with while the device is of minimum bulk and the casing may be readily opened without interferin with the spindle or coil in any way. 0t or features of the said invention are that the condenser and the low tension contact breaker as well as the rotatory part of the distributer may be arranged to rotate with the coil thereby reducing brush or sliding electrical contacts to a minimum and enabling the condenser and low tension contact breaker to be disposed within the same chamber within which the coil and distributer are situated which arrangement long bearing is has not been heretofore proposed in devices of the aforesaid kind although in a form of coil ignition device in which the coil is stationary it has been proposed to inclose the parts in a single casing. The said invention also consists in the general construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter de scribed.

The said invention ,is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings .which illustrate a convenlent embodiment thereof.

- Figure 1 of the said drawings is a side view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is a side'view of the upper part of the apparatus looking in a direction the reverse of that from which Fig. 1 is taken. F i 4 is aface view of the inner side of the c osing cap hereinafter referred to. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are respectively an edge view, face View of an upper side and face view of the under or cam side of the cam ring and timing lever hereinafter .referred to. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the apparatus taken on the line A A Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows near that line but drawn to a larger scale than that figure. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the app'aratus with the aforesaid closing cap and cam ring and timing lever removed. Figs. 10 and 11 are respectivel which erspective view of the distributer contact erelnafter referred to and Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the electrical connections.

Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 are drawmto the same scale as Fig. 8.

In the followin description the various parts of the said gures are referred to b the numerals marked thereon the same re erence numerals indicating the same parts in the several figures.

1 is the driving spindle for the rotatory parts of the device. 2 is one of the platinum points of the low tension contact maker and breaker carried by a s lit collar clamped aroundthe spindle 1 as shown in Fig. 9 with interposition of electrical nonconducting material 3. The other platinum point 4 is carried by a spring sheet metal annular late 5 secured to the collar 6 which is seen to the spindle 1. The low tension contact breaker is therefore carried by and rotates with the spindle 1.

The collar 6 forms part of the spool carrying the coil which thus rotates with the a side view. and plan of the spool on the coil is arranged. Fig. 12 is a 7 low tension contact 'caps 15,16. The cap .outwardly from the casing spindle. Tha s ool consists of the said collar 6, and over an'ging flange 7 thereon, a tubular ortion 8 and a flange 9 at the other end. T e whole of the spool is slit from one end to the other and from the most central part to the peripher at 10 (as shown in Figs. 10 and 11) in 0 or to obviate eddy currents. The coil consists winding diagrammatically indicated at 11 in Fig. 8 and the secondary or high tension winding diagrammatically indicated at 12. Between the up er end of the coil and the collar 6 and wit in the flan 7 on that c ol lar a condenser is arrange in shunt with the platinum points 2, 4 as'usual. The condenser is dia mmatically indicated at 13 in Fig. 8 an plates of electrical conducting material and di-electric alternately arran around the tubular portion 8 of the coil spool within the flange 7 or alternated strips of these materials wound volute fashion around the said tubular portion within the said flange. wit in a tu ular casing 14 o ebonite secured insome convenient fixed position and the said casing has secured at its ends metal 15 is permanently secured to the casin 14 by screws and constitutes a bearin or the spindle 1 but the cap 16 is removafily secured in lace by pins 17, 17 on it engaging in ho es in bade springs 18, 18 screws to the cap 15. The normal osition of the said blade springs is as ill iistrated, in which they ho d the closing cap 16 in placabut by pressing them 15 against their resilience the pins 17 17 are readily disengaged from them to release the cap 16 which can then be easily removed. The upper part of the casing 14 is provided with a small glass window 19 by which the action of the maker and breaker may be observed. The cap 16 at the part engaging, within the casing is cut away at 16 (see Fig. 4) so as to leave the window 19 unobstructed. Centrally screwed into the cap 15 is a tube 20 of soft iron which projects upwardly between the spindle 1 which it surrounds and the inner surface of the tubuv lar part 8 of the coil spoo This tube 20 constitutes a soft iron core for the coil and also an extension of the bearing in the cap 15 for the spindle 1 b which means the said spindle is provided "ith one long bearing and a hearing at the low tension contact maker and breaker is avoided thus providing for free access to the parts of the latter device. The cap 16 carries at its center the low tension leading in terminal 21 for the primary winding 11. This terminal is mounted in an ebonite plug 22 screwed into the cap 16 and is provided with a tubular part 23 within which is situated a metal brush. plug or contact piece 24 pressed toof the primary it may be formed by annularworkingparts of the apparatus are 1 ondary insulate it from the said spindle and a laterally situated lead 28- from this plug 27 is electrically connected to one end. of the pnmary. winding of the coil. The platinum point 2 is connected to the other end of the primary winding by the conductor 29 of thin sheet metal. The latinum points 2, 4 WhlCh rotate with the spindle 1 are separated and allowed to make contact the one with the other by means of stationary cams on a cam ring 30. This cam ring is of fiber to a metal ring 31 and the rings 30, 31 -to-' g ether'are seated in a circular recess in the cap 16. The cams are formed by plane surfaces of the cam ring 30 protuberance 32 on the annu ar spring plate 5 bear during rotationof the spindle 1 separating the latinum points 2, 4 as shown in Fig. 8. tween the said plane surfaces are uidistantly disposed recesses 33, 33, (see igs. 5 and 7) which as the spindle 1 rotates admit of the protuberance 32 and plate 5 rising, in consequence of the resilience of the latter, as the said protuberance passes into the said recesses successively thus permitting the platinum points 2, 4 to make contact one with the other from time to time. The electrical current through the primary winding 11 of the coil is thus periodically broken and allowed to flow as necessary. The'ring 31 is provided with a radial extension 34 which protrudes through a slot 35 in the cap 16 and constitutes a timing lever, variation of the position of which admits of variation of the time of make and break of the current through the primary coil in relation to the time of assage of current from the secondary win ing 12. One end of the secondary winding of the coil is electrically connected to one end of the primary winding and to the condenser 13 and the other end of the secwindmg is connected to a distributer terminal 36secured to the outside of the coil. Around the casing 14 are equally spaced the terminals within which are respectivel secured the several conductors to the spar 'n plugs of the respective cylinders of he internal combustion engine. In

the example illustrated four such terminals securedthe spindle 1 a inst which a broken lines at 38. The coil is surrounded by a sheet of ebonite paper 39 which is held in place by coarse cotton closely wound around it and the exterior of the whole coated with a thin coating of shellac. The terminal 36 is a comparatively thin strip 'of brass and it is held in place on the exterior of the coil by the following means. The said strip is secured to a thinner but wider and longer strip of brass 40 and an aperture is made in the ebonite paper 39 corresponding to the "size of the strip 36 which is placed on the coil so that it protrudes through the said aperture and is held in place by the ebonite paper 39 covering the backing stri 40. This arrangement is illustrated 1n F 12. V

The four termlnals for the sparking plug conductors each consist of the conductor 37 which is held in pl ce in the casin 14 by the screw nuts 41-, 2 and has a sp it stern 43. On this the parts 44, 45 between which the sparking plug conductor is gripped fit friction tight. These parts are mainly of ebonite but have respectively brass bushings 46, 47 on which the necessary engaging screw threads are formed. The part 45 has an extension formed with a leadin in passage 48 in! the sparking plug con uctor. The fdonstruction of these sparking p ug conductor terminals forms no part of t c said invention. 7 1

Fig. 13 well illustrates in diagram the electrical connections and circuits of the apparatus, 49 indicating the battery, 50 a switch and 51 a sparking pl'u' By examining this diagram and Fig. 8 it will be understood that the circuit through the primary winding 11 is through the terminal 21'- part 23, brush 24, plug conductor '37, lead 28, through the said winding and conductor 29 to the platinum point 2 thence through the platinum point 4 when it is in contact with the point 2 to the plate 5 which is earthcd through the collar 6 and spindle 1. The secondary winding 12 is connected at one end to the primary winding 11 and at the other end to the terminal 36 which conducts current from the conductor 37. The

condenser 13 is earthed through the collar liable ignition be desired each cylinderof the engine may be provided with two sparking plugs actuated in series simultaneously. For this purpose the secondary winding 12 is entire] insulated, that is, one end is not connecte to the primary windi as in the embodiment hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the terminal plate 36 is duplicated and one end of the secondary windin is connected to each plate.' The termina s for the sparking plug conductors are also duplicated. The two terminal plates are directly above one another on the coil and the two sets of terminals for the sparking plug conductors are also arranged directly above one another on the casing in such positions that when one conductor 37 is assing one plate 36 the conductor 37 o the other terminal for the conductor to the second sparking plug of the same cylinder is passing the other plate 36, one electrode of each plug is connected to earth. The effect of this construction and arrangement-is to spark two plu in series simultaneously.

A coil ignition device made according to the said inventionis very compact andwhile all the parts are inclosed by the surrounding casing ready access to the parts within the said casin may be obtained without materially inter ering with any of them or disturbing them in such a way as to renderany skilful readjustment or reassemblage necessary.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A coil ignition device of the kind hereinbeforereferred to comprising a rotatory spindle, a coil secured to said spindle, and a single bearing for said spindle partly surrounded by said coil.

2. A coil i nition device substantially such as herein efore described, comprising a rotatory spindle and a coil, a distributor and a condenser, the said coil, the rotatory part ofthe said distributer, and the said condenser being all carried by the said spindle.

3. A coil i ition device substantially such as herein efore described, comprising a rotatory spindle and a coil, a distributor and a low tension contact breaker, the said coil, the rotatory part of the said distributer and the said low tension contact breaker being all carried by the said spindle.

4. A coil ignition device of the kind here- 6. A coil i ition device substantially such as herein efore described, comprising a rotatory spindle, a coil, a condenser, a distributor and a low tension contact breaker, the said coil, the said condenser, the said low tension contact breaker and the rotatory part of the said distributer being all carried by the said spindle.

7. A coil ignition device of the kind hereinbefore referred to co: prising a rotatory spindle, a-coil secured t ereto, a single bearing for said spindle partly surrounded by said coil,'a low tension contact breaker secured to said spindle, and a condenser secured to said spindle.

8. A coil ignition device comprising a rotatory spin e and a coil and distributer, the said coiland the rotatory part of the said distributor being both carried by the said spindle, a condenser and a low tension contact breaker, the said coil, distributer, condenser and low tension contafit breaker all being within sin is casing.

9. A coili it on evice com rising a rotatory spin le and a coil carried by it, a low tension contact breaker, a distributor and a condenser, atsingle casing inclosing a single chamber in which the said coil, low tension contact breaker, distributer and condenser are located.

Daniel 01 this patent may be obtained tor 10. A coil i ition device of the kind hereinbefore re erred to comprising a single casing, a rotatory s indle mounted in a bearin at one end 0 said casin one end of sai spindle being within but ree of said casing, a coil secured to part of the said spindle within the said casing, a low tensioncontact breaker secured to said spindle near its free end within said casing, a removable portion of said casing adjacent to said free end of said spindle, and means for conducting electric current from outside said casing to the said low tension contact breaker.

11. A coil ignition device of the kind hereinbefore referred to comprising a single casing, a rotatory spindle mounted axially in a bearing at one end of said casing, one end i of said spindle being within but free of said casing, a coil and a condenser both secured to sald spindle within said casing, a low tension contact breaker secured to said spin-- (lle near its free end within said casing, a removable portion of said casing adjacent to said free end of said spindle, means for conducting electric current from without the said casing to said low tension contact breaker, and means carried by saidcoil for distributin high tension current.

MO TIMER ARTHUR CODD.

five cents each, by addressing the communion: 0! menu, Washington, D. 0." 

